Books with author Mary Boykin

"Mary Chestnut's Diary" is a vivid first hand narrative of the Civil War. Written between 1861 and 1865, Mary Chestnut (1823-1886) was married to James Chestnut, Jr., an important Confederate general. Her diaries offer some of our most detailed and personal accounts of one of America's most troubling and conflicted eras. The diary spans the entirety of the war, allowing readers to witness battles both small and large; political, military, and domestic life; and the dynamic conflicts that ensued between race, class, and democracy. Chestnut was one of the rare few who witnessed the first shots of the war, and her diary takes us through the hills and homes of the war—from Alabama to Virginia. We see the emotional energy created by such a conflict with an intimacy only to be read in a diary. Always aware of the historical significance of her surroundings, the journals read as great journalism and reportage. Chestnut's entries skillfully capture a nation finding its voice amidst great turmoil. Essential reading for any Civil War buff or student of American History "Mary Chestnut's Diary" is an invaluable and classic read.

A Diary from Dixie is a famous book by an American writer Mary Boykin Chesnut. Mary Chesnut viewed the events of her time from a position of privilege. She was, in many respects, the archetypal southern lady. A Diary from Dixie is a specific chronicle of the Civil War that was described from within her circle of society. Mary Boykin Chesnut’s A Diary from Dixie won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1982.

Mary Chesnut kept her diary from early in 1861, just before the Civil War began, to shortly after the end of the war, in 1865. Though not a day-by-day account of the conflict, the diary gives an up-close-and-personal view of this critical period in American history. Her commentary on the conversations and events of her day reveals a keen awareness of the oppression to which women--lack or white, slave or free--were subjected during that period. While she would not consider herself a feminist, her diary reveals sensibilities and concerns that place her far ahead of her time. The wife of a Confederate general, Mary Chesnut moved in the elite circles of Southern society and had a keen interest in politics. Her diary is an important historic document and, because of her sharp wit and often irreverent attitude, a fascinating window into Southern society of the time.

Mary Chesnut kept her diary from early in 1861, just before the Civil War began, to shortly after the end of the war, in 1865. Though not a day-by-day account of the conflict, the diary gives an up-close-and-personal view of this critical period in American history. Her commentary on the conversations and events of her day reveals a keen awareness of the oppression to which women--lack or white, slave or free--were subjected during that period. While she would not consider herself a feminist, her diary reveals sensibilities and concerns that place her far ahead of her time. The wife of a Confederate general, Mary Chesnut moved in the elite circles of Southern society and had a keen interest in politics. Her diary is an important historic document and, because of her sharp wit and often irreverent attitude, a fascinating window into Southern society of the time.

Excerpt from A Diary From DixieIn Mrs. Chesnut's Diary are vivid pictures of the social life that went on uninterruptedly in the midst of war; of the economic conditions that resulted from blockaded ports; of the manner in which the spirits of the people rose and fell with each victory or defeat, and of the momentous events that took place in Charleston, Montgomery, and Richmond. But the Diary has an importance quite apart from the interest that lies in these pictures.Mrs. Chesnut was close to forty years of age when the war began, and thus had lived through the most stirring scenes in the controversies that led to it. In this Diary, as perhaps nowhere else in the literature of the war, will be found the Southern spirit of that time expressed in words which are not alone charming as literature, but genuinely human in their spontaneousness, their delightfully unconscious frankness. Her words are the farthest possible removed from anything deliberate, academic, or purely intellectual. They ring so true that they start echoes. The most uncompromising Northern heart can scarcely fail to be moved by their abounding sincerity, surcharged though it be with that old Southern fire which overwhelmed the army of McDowell at Bull Run.In making more clear the unyielding tenacity of the South and the stern conditions in which the war was prosecuted, the Diary has further importance.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

“Mary Chestnut’s Diary” is a vivid first hand narrative of the Civil War. Mary Boykin Chestnut was married to James Chestnut, Jr., an important Confederate general. Written between 1861 and 1865, her diaries offer some of our most detailed and personal accounts of one of America’s most troubling and conflicted eras. The diary spans the entirety of the war, allowing readers to witness battles both small and large; political, military, and domestic life; and the dynamic conflicts that ensued between race, class, and democracy. Chestnut was one of the rare few who witnessed the first shots of the war, and her diary takes us through the hills and homes of the war—from Alabama to Virginia. We see the emotional energy created by such a conflict with an intimacy only to be read in a diary. Always aware of the historical significance of her surroundings, the journals read as great reporting. Chestnut’s entries skillfully capture a nation finding its voice amidst great turmoil. Essential reading for any Civil War buff or student of American history, “Mary Chestnut’s Diary” is an invaluable document of one of America’s greatest conflicts. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.